Navigation using self-describing fiducials

Abstract

In one embodiment, a self-describing fiducial includes a communication element that optically communicates navigation-aiding information. The navigation-aiding information may include a position of the self-describing fiducial with respect to one or more coordinate systems and the communication element communicates the navigation-aiding information to one or more navigating objects in the vicinity of the self-describing fiducial.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A self-describing fiducial comprising:
 a communication element that is configured to optically communicate navigation state estimation aiding information to one or more navigating objects in the vicinity of the self-describing fiducial for state estimation; 
 wherein the navigation-aiding information comprises a geographic position of the self-describing fiducial with respect to one or more coordinate systems. 
 
     
     
       2. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the communication element comprises a barcode. 
     
     
       3. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the communication element comprises a dynamic barcode communicating time varying data. 
     
     
       4. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the communication element comprises a barcode visible through a 360 degree angle. 
     
     
       5. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the communication element comprises a light emitting source and wherein the navigation-aiding information is optically communicated by modulation of the light emitted by the light emitting source. 
     
     
       6. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 5 , wherein light from the light emitting source comprises at least one of: nonvisible light and polarized light. 
     
     
       7. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the navigation aiding information comprises covariance information associated with the position of the self-describing fiducial. 
     
     
       8. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the self-describing fiducial comprises:
 a power source; and 
 an encoder; 
 wherein the communication element comprises an optical transmitter, wherein the power source provides power to the encoder, and the encoder encodes a location of the self-describing fiducial to produce an encoded location and the optical transmitter optically broadcasts the encoded location. 
 
     
     
       9. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the communication element further communicates navigation aiding information comprising at least one of: traffic volume levels, flight corridor heights, lateral location, speed restrictions, weather information, no fly zones, traffic patterns, or an all-stop signal. 
     
     
       10. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the self-describing fiducial is on a navigating object and wherein the self-describing fiducial transmits navigation parameters of the navigating object. 
     
     
       11. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the power source comprises a solar panel and the communication element comprises at least one light emitting diode. 
     
     
       12. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the communication element optically transmits a pointer to a matrix stored in the navigating device, the matrix comprising location information for the self-describing fiducial. 
     
     
       13. The self-describing fiducial of  claim 1 , wherein the matrix stored on the navigating device is updated to improve accuracy of the location information. 
     
     
       14. A system of self-describing fiducials comprising a plurality of self-describing fiducials, each self-describing fiducial optically communicating its location and position covariance information related to its location. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a navigating object having a clear line of sight to a portion of the self-describing fiducials, wherein the self-describing fiducials are physically distributed such that the navigating object uniquely calculates its position from a single observation. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of self-describing fiducials self-initialize by estimating at least one of: relative position to other surrounding self-describing fiducials and a location of the self-describing fiducial with respect to at least one coordinate system. 
     
     
       17. A method for navigating comprising:
 taking an image with a camera mounted on a navigating object; 
 identifying a self-describing fiducial within the image; 
 acquiring an optically communicated geographic position of the self-describing fiducial; and 
 processing the optically communicated location to estimate at least one navigational state of the navigating object. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein acquiring an optically communicated location of the self-describing fiducial comprises analyzing an image of the self-describing fiducial, wherein the self-describing fiducial comprises a barcode. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising calculating an angle of the self-describing fiducial by calculating a location of an image of the self-describing fiducial on a focal plane of the camera. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 17 , wherein processing the optically communicated location comprises inputting the optically communicated location into a navigation filter.